Hitherto, a fluorine gas generating device has been known which comprises an electrolytic tank that electrolyzes hydrogen fluoride in an electrolytic bath including a molten salt containing therein hydrogen fluoride and generates at an anode side thereof a main-product gas containing as a main component fluorine gas and at a cathode side thereof a by-product gas containing as a main component hydrogen gas.
In fluorine gas generating devices of this type, in the fluorine gas generated at the anode side of the electrolytic tank, there is mixed a hydrogen fluoride gas (HF) vaporized from the molten salt. Accordingly, for refining the fluorine gas by separating or removing the hydrogen fluoride from the gas generated at the anode side, there is provided a refining device that is equipped with a detoxifying tower filled with an adsorbent (detoxifier) such as sodium fluoride (NaF) or the like.
In the fluorine gas and hydrogen gas generated in the electrolytic tank, there are mixed hydrogen fluoride evaporated from the molten salt contained in electrolytic tank and mist components of the molten salt itself. However, such components cause deterioration of the adsorbent. Particularly, because of contact with a highly concentrated hydrogen fluoride, it tends to occur that the adsorbent placed near an inlet of the detoxifying tower becomes solidified due to fusion or pulverized due to volumetric expansion, which causes clogging of the adsorbent. Once the adsorbent clogging occurs, a gas flow is blocked and clogging of the detoxifying tower is induced, which have been practical problems.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, Patent Document-1 discloses a technique in which to a fluorine gas generating device equipped with a detoxifying tower filled with adsorbent such as sodium fluoride (NaF) or the like, there is provided a separation means to define a space between a gas feed port and the adsorbent, so that droplets of mist component are scattered and settled down in the space to make it difficult to effect contact between the adsorbent and the mist component of the molten salt thereby suppressing clogging of the adsorbent and thus reducing the frequency of maintenance of the detoxifying tower.